Thursday, March 19, 2015

WENYEWE WANAITAGA SOLAR ECLIPSE SISI TUNAITA NINI ETI? SOMA ZAIDI..

By: Unknown on 7:10 PM

Would you let YOUR child watch tomorrow's solar eclipse? Parents' fury at schools planning to make children watch the once-in-a-decade event on TV due to safety fears

Moon will pass in front of sun tomorrow creating 98% eclipse in some parts
The event due to take place at 9.30am, meaning children will be at school
Parents angry after some headteachers decide to keep youngsters indoors
School chiefs say they will not risk children's eyesight from looking at sun

Published: 2015 | 19 March 2015

School children around the country will be watching tomorrow's once-in-a-decade solar eclipse on TV due to safety fears.

Britain will be thrown into partial darkness around 9.30am tomorrow morning as the moon passes in front of the sun, blocking out up to 98 per cent of its light.

But many schools are keeping children indoors when the phenomenon takes place because of fears they could damage their eyes by looking at the sun.

The decision by head teachers has angered parents, who want their children to experience the rare celestial event without sitting in front of a screen.

Pupils at a number of schools around Britain will be kept indoors tomorrow during the solar eclipse over fears they may damage their eyes by looking at the sun. File photo

Those living in some parts of Britain may not see the eclipse due to the cloudy weather which is forecast

Mother-of-two Jen Palmer, from Worthing, West Sussex, tweeted: 'Hands up who is rebelling against school rules tomorrow and sending their kids in late having watched the eclipse?'

Fellow twitter user Bel Lander, a mother-of-four from Glasgow, added: 'So not happy about secondary school my kids go to doing NOTHING for solar eclipse tomorrow! Livid and furious. I'm on a mission today.'

And Paul Towner, a father from Reading, Berkshire, wrote: 'Should I take my son to school late so he can watch the Eclipse? They are watching it on TV!'

Other parents have been left running around after schools only announced today that children would have to bring their own 'eclipse-viewing glasses'.

Pupils also went online to complain after some were told the blinds in their classrooms would be closed during the eclipse and others said they would be shown a recording of the event in the afternoon.

Oldway primary school in Paignton, Devon, is one of those which has come under fire for keeping children inside, where they will watch it on computer screens.

Parent Sophie Bertorelli said: 'It is a bit of a shame to watch it on a computer. I would have thought they would have maybe supplied some protective glasses.'

Head teacher Jane Smythe said she had 700 children to look after and she 'could not guarantee that they would not look at the sun'.

Ms Smythe said she understood if parents wanted to keep children at home for the first hour of school so they could watch it together.